


Possession

by Novaleo89



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 18:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12538160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaleo89/pseuds/Novaleo89
Summary: Possession isn't real is it? If it's not then why Draco acting like this?





	Possession

“WHAT?!” The high pitch shriek from Hermione Granger rang throughout the tiny muggle cafe drawing attention to the pair. Hermione slightly blushed as she noticed all the attention she had drawn and lowered her voice. “I don’t believe a word that you’re saying” she said as she stared at Neville Longbottom disbelievingly. “There is no way that you are now best friends with Draco. Malfoy. Seriously Neville, the only person he bullied more than you in school was me. He’s a total prick. How could this have possibly happened?” 

Neville laughed at Hermione’s reaction to the bomb he just dropped. He set down his tea and said “ Yeah. If you had told me a year ago that Draco and I would be good friends I would have laughed in your face. It’s all Luna. She convinced me to give him a chance. There was an opening for Lead Herbologist at Draco's potions company and she told me to go for it. It was a great opportunity and I have to say I don’t regret it. I love my job and Draco actually isn’t terrible to work for. He is much different than he was in school and I think has honestly changed for the better.”

“War will do that to a person. Sorry but it’s still a bit hard to believe. Also your wife is a nut.”  
“Yeah I can’t argue with that. But she’s our nut and we love her all the same. And I don’t blame you for being skeptical about Draco. You should give him a chance. Which kind of brings me to why I asked you to lunch today. He wanted me to ask if you would be willing to meet with him.”

“Why?”  
“He wants to apologize for everything he’s done to you in the past. He made amends with me and I think he wants to do the same for you. Like you said, you’re the only person that he picked with more than me in school. Also, honestly….I think he has a crush on you.”  
“You’re joking”  
“Not even a little.” He chuckled. “I swear he blushes a little whenever I mention you. Just think about it. Believe me when I say he’s not the same Malfoy we knew in school. Just try and be open minded alright?”  
Hermione bit her lip as she thought about it. Finally she sighed and said “Ok. For you Neville? Alright.”

****************

Three days later Hermione found herself in a corner booth of the Leaky Cauldron waiting for the one and only Draco Malfoy. She can’t believe she let Neville talk her into this but she promised she would give it a shot. And here she was. Waiting for him to make his grand appearance. He was late. It had been a long day at the ministry and she didn’t want to come here in the first place. She was about to say screw it and leave when she spotted a head of white blond hair making its way through the crowd towards her. A few seconds later a pale, handsome blond was standing in front of her. Towering over her and clearly out of breath as if he had run the whole way there. “Granger” he panted “I’m so sorry that I’m running a bit late. I’m glad you’re still here.”

“Yeah” she said a little disappointed that he had actually shown up, “It’s no problem”. Draco slid into the booth sitting directly across from her. “Thank you for meeting with me. I know we were never on the best terms but over the years I’ve been trying to make up for all my past mistakes. I think one of my biggest regrets is the way that I treated you for all those years. I want you to know that I truly regret every single insult that I threw your way. I’m not that person anymore. I can only hope that you can forgive me.” Hermione couldn’t do anything but blink and stare at him in disbelief. She was shocked at the sincerity behind his words. 

After a few seconds Hermione realized that she had been staring at him stupidly for way too long. Honestly she didn’t know how to act around this newer, more mature Draco Malfoy. Finally she said “Thank you Malfoy. I really do appreciate that. And I accept your apology.”

Draco breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her. He had a gorgeous smile Hermione noticed. She had only ever seen him smirk. Malfoy didn’t look half bad. He was actually very attractive she admitted to herself. She hadn’t seen him since his trial where she and Harry had testified in his and his mother’s defense 6 years ago. Back then his face was sunken in, he was underweight and basically looked sickly. The years have clearly been good to him. He put on some weight and was now pretty lean and muscular. Now that he had gotten that off of his chest his silver eyes lit up with mischief.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way would you like to go out to dinner with me?”  
Hermione choked on the sip of water she had just taken.“What? Like a date?”  
“Well..yeah” he shrugged.  
“Why would you want to go on a date with me?”  
“Brightest witch of our age huh?” this earned him a glare from Hermione “Well obviously because I like you. I’ve actually had a crush on you since we were in school”  
“Oh Malfoy. The lies you speak.”  
He chuckled. “I honestly don’t blame you for not believing me but seriously I did.”  
“Let me guess. Fourth year when everyone suddenly remembered that yes I am indeed a girl. Or third year when I punched you in the face and proved I wasn’t going to take your shit like some of the other students.”

“Actually it was in first year” he smiled reminiscing. “You were different and it caught my attention. I found your wild hair and excitability captivating. Much different from the prim and proper pureblood girls I was used to. The only reason I never asked you out before was because I was so worried about what my father thought of me. I was desperate for his approval and followed him and his beliefs blindly. Well you see where that got me. Narrowly avoiding time in Azkaban.” There was some bitterness in his voice. “So now I do what I want. And what I want is you. So what do you say? Dinner tomorrow night?”

Everything that Malfoy said had seemed genuine. She couldn’t deny that. The way that he looked at her pleadingly convinced her that his words were true. 

“What could it hurt? Yes Malfoy I’ll go out with you.”  
“Great! And call me Draco. Please.” He stood to leave. “I’ll owl you the details once I get them sorted out. Alright?”  
“Sounds good.”  
“Excellent. I’ll be in contact soon. You won’t regret it.” With that Draco turned to leave. His signature smirk back in place as he exited the pub.

Turns out she didn’t regret it. It was probably the best date she had gone on in, well, ever. Draco had taken her to a French restaurant. In France. Earlier he had arranged for a portkey to take them. Who knew Draco Malfoy could be romantic? After dinner they took a walk and just talked. It was simple yet nice. Who knew she had so much in common with her childhood bully. In fact if she weren't Hermione Granger, muggleborn witch of the Golden Trio and he didn't come from a long line of pureblood, muggle hating, blood purists then they may have gotten together a long time ago. After their stroll they stopped to get ice cream for dessert before heading home.  
When they got back to Hermione's building Draco walked her to her door. “Thank you for tonight Mal-..Draco. I had a wonderful time.

With that Draco beamed. “So does that mean I get a goodnight kiss?” He asked slyly. “Hmm I think I may be able to manage that.” She took a step closer and tilted her head up. He met her halfway and placing his hand on her hip leaned down, connecting their lips. Just when she thought the night couldn't get any better Draco proved her wrong. He was an amazing kisser. By the time their lips parted they were both breathless and panting. His heated gaze told her that if she didn't go inside now then she wouldn't be going to bed alone. 

Draco was the first one to speak. “I should get going.” Taking a step back he grabbed her hand and planted a kiss. “Thank you for a lovely evening. Sweet dreams.”  
“Good night Draco.” She stepped inside and giddily replayed the night's events in her mind. She definitely wouldn't mind going out with him again.

Not only did she go out with him again and again, they had started to make it a regular thing. The next six months turned out to be some of the happiest of Hermione's life. Things between her and Draco had been going great. She was glad that she had given him a chance. He was no longer the snotty, spoiled brat that he was at Hogwarts. He was still as snarky and cocky as ever but now he was helpful, charming and considerate. They had learned a lot about each other over the months. As they dated they had decided to keep their relationship quiet until they were sure that this is what they wanted. Neville and Blaise Zabini knew of course. But the couple wanted to have a bit of privacy before they had reporters bombarding them with questions about their personal lives.

After six months both of them were certain of where they stood with one another. They were crazy about each other. Especially Draco who was already head over heels in love with Hermione. He was so glad she was able to forgive and look past all the mistakes he’s made. They were ready to make their relationship public. Today they were having lunch at the Leaky Cauldron where they drew a bit of attention. Between the hand holding and sweet kisses it was clear they were together. This was their first time on a date in the wizarding world. Draco had only taken her on muggle dates before. She was actually a bit surprised at how easily he navigated around the muggleworld. 

Word spread quickly about the pair and by the next morning they had made the paper. “That damn Skeeter woman. Of course she’d be the first to stick her nose into things.” He scowled. “What was that?” Hermione asked as she emerged from her bedroom. She read the headline for the paper over his shoulder.

Former Deatheater seen getting close and cuddly with the Golden Trios Princess. More about this scandal on pg 4.

“Well this is what we expected.” she said not at all surprised. She had a fair amount of experience with Skeeter. “We were prepared for this and knew...Fuck!” That sudden outburst startled him. He looked up to see his girlfriend with a look of horror on her face. “Hermione what's wrong” he asked. “Your parents. I completely forgot about them. What are they going to say?”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Don’t worry, love. I owled mother just before our date yesterday so she already knew and she’s thrilled that I’ve finally found someone that makes me happy. Someone that I love. That's all she’s ever cared about” That made Hermione feel a little better. “And what about your father?” That made Draco frown slightly. “What he has to say doesn’t matter. He doesn’t get a say in who I choose to spend my life with, alright? So stop worrying.” He gave her a reassuring smile. When she returned his smile he said “Now...mother wants to meet you. We’re meeting her at the manor for tea this afternoon.”

“Wait,what!”

 

****************  
Later that day Hermione paced nervously back and forth waiting for Draco to finish getting dressed. She had never met the parents of a guy she had dated before. The Weasleys were different. She had known them for years before her and Ron had gotten together. The Malfoys were the polar opposite of the Weasleys. Not quite as warm and friendly. For the third time she smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her yellow sundress. Finally, dressed in slacks and a white dress shirt, Draco approached her ready to go. He gently grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

As it turned out everything was not fine. Their afternoon tea with Narcissa in the gardens was rudely interrupted by an uninvited guest. “What the hell is going on! What is that mudblood doing here!” Lucius Malfoy stormed across the grounds angrily towards the trio. As soon as “mudblood” left his father’s mouth Draco stood. “Don’t ever speak to her like that. Especially in front of me”.  
“Lucius”, Narcissa said calmly “Ms. Granger is my guest. Show some manners”.  
“Like hell I will!”  
“What is this?” Lucius threw a copy of the Daily Prophet. “A newspaper.” Draco drawled.  
“Don’t be a smartass. What is this talk of you being involved with this filth?!” Draco immediately pointed his wand at his father. “I dare you to repeat that.”  
“How dare you point your wand at me!”  
“Draco please.” His mother pleaded. Draco turned to her and saw the sadness in her eyes. He knew she hated when they argued. “Next time I won’t hesitate to act” he said as he glared at his father.  
“I will not allow you to taint the purity of this family! You will find a pureblood to marry and carry on the Malfoy bloodline! It is your responsibility as my heir. This little fling of yours ends now!” Hermione could see how difficult it was for Draco to keep his cool. He was practically shaking with fury. She placed a hand on his forearm. “Draco maybe we should go. Narcissa it was lovely meeting you. Thank you for the tea.” She boldly looked Lucius in the eye, “Lucius”. His only response was to snarl at her. “One thing before I go. Father, I love Hermione with all my heart. I don’t care whether you approve of her or not. Nothings going to tear us apart. You’re just going to have to get over it.” With that the couple turned towards the manor to head back to the floo.

“Lucius that was completely uncalled for!” Narcissa hissed at her husband. “I’d say it was. There is no way I will allow my son to be with some mudblood!” Lucius fumed. The day that I ever accept my son being involved with some muggleborn witch will be over my dead body”. He had no idea how true his words were about to be.

***************  
A week later Lucius grimly left St. Mungos. He had gone in for a routine check up and come out with a lot to think about. He was dying. And apparently there was nothing they could do about it. That wasn’t going to stop him though. He’d find a way. But in the meantime he had to prepare for the worst. There was no way in hell he was leaving this Earth without knowing that his son had ditched the mudblood and found a pureblood. There were certain arrangements that would need to be made.

****************  
It had been a month since tea with his parents. He hadn’t talked to his father since he told him that he was in a serious relationship with Hermione. Lucius vehemently disapproved and honestly Draco couldn’t care less. He loved Hermione and wasn’t going to let his father's opinions get in the way of that. It’s what prevented him from pursuing her years ago and he wouldn’t let his father's ideals get in between them now. He may have shared his father's beliefs about muggleborns when he was was younger but he was a man now. He formed his own opinions and thought that Lucius’ beliefs were completely and utterly wrong. Hermione was the love of his life and she was his. That's all he cared about. She loved him as much as he loved her. Even though they had only been together for seven months he already knew that she would be the next Mrs. Malfoy. 

Lost in his thoughts Draco didn’t notice the owl tapping furiously at his office window. He stood to let it in then reached to grab a treat from his desk. He gave it to the owl as he untied the roll of parchment from its leg. After reading the note his whole body tensed up. He dropped the note as he quickly headed to Malfoy Manor.

Come quickly. It’s your father.  
~ N. Malfoy

When Draco erupted from the floo he darted upstairs in the main suite. He took the stairs two at a time and burst into his parents bedroom. A gasp escaped from him as his eyes fell upon his father. There was Lucius Malfoy literally laying on his deathbed. Narcissa turned her tear streaked face towards Draco and extended her hand. He walked slowly towards his mother and sat down beside her. Never taking his eyes off of Lucius. “He’s gone” she whispered. 

****************  
Unsurprisingly no one had shown up to Lucius’ funeral. If it weren’t for Draco she sure as hell wouldn’t be here. But Draco needed her support right now. It was a short service and when it was over Narcissa excused herself to go to bed for the evening. Once they were alone Hermione pulled Draco into her arms to comfort him. “My mothers not taking this well at all. And tomorrow is the reading of father's Will.” He ran his fingers through his hair in distress. 

“She really needs you right now. You should spend some time alone together. Take some time to help her start to heal. I’ll be at my flat alright? Just owl me if you need anything.” With one more kiss she headed back to her flat.

The next day at the reading, just as he expected,everything was left to Draco with the exception of some jewels and the summer home in France that went to Narcissa. One thing he didn’t see coming was his father leaving him his favorite ring. Lucius was never very sentimental so it came as a surprise to him. 

Over the next few days Draco didn’t feel quite the same. He had felt off ever since Lucius’ death. Lately it was like he was walking around in a daze. He supposed he took his father's death harder than he realized. Even though Lucius was a rotten human being he was still his father and a part of him would always miss him. Oddly he felt a little closer to his father when he wore the ring. Like a part of Lucius was with him. 

Two weeks had passed and Hermione noticed that Draco had seemed to be in somewhat of a foul mood lately. She suggested going to his favorite Italian restaurant in London to cheer him up. It turned out to be not such a good idea after all. His mood only worsened as he muttered about “stupid muggles”. The tiniest things set him off. It had gotten so bad that she had to obliviate their waiter and two other muggles after Draco turned their waiter into a chimp. Safe to say it was time to go.

She apparated them back to the manor. Once they were there she turned to face him furiously. “Draco what the hell was that?! What is wrong with you! You can’t just go turning muggles into…”  
“Shut! Up! Granger!”  
Hermione stood there wide eyed and, for the first time, completely speechless.

“What? Did you think I was going to sit around and let you tell me what I'm allowed to do? I’m done with that.”  
She crossed her arms in frustration. “You know that situation could’ve gotten out of hand really quick. It’s a good thing I was there to…” Draco interrupted her with a slow clap”

“Praise be unto Saint Granger.” He scowled at her. “If I bloody well want to transfigure and torture muggles then I fucking will! And why not? Turns out my father was right all along. They’re worthless and weak. And you know what?” His eyes bore straight into hers as he stepped towards her. He leaned and whispered into her ear. “It was fun”. 

“I was wrong about you. You haven’t changed at all. You’re the same selfish prick you were in school!”  
“And you’re the same bossy, know-it-all mudblood.” He shouted back without remorse.  
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you Draco Malfoy and I don’t care. I never want to see you again. We’re done!”  
“Good riddance!” he smirked. She stood there glaring at the man she thought she loved one my time before apparating away.

Once she was gone Draco grabbed a drink and got comfortable on the couch. Absentmindedly playing with the ring on his finger.

****************  
Hermione sat at her desk going through paperwork when she heard a knock at her office door. “Come in” she responded distractedly. “Hey love. I brought your favorite. Went to that muggle chinese place you like in...”  
“What are you doing here!” She shouted at him. “I specifically told you that I never wanted to see you again! Get out!” To say Draco was shocked was an understatement. “Love? What’s going on? Why are you upset?”  
“Upset?! No I’m furious! Draco the things you said to me last night were unforgivable.”  
“Hermione, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
“You sounded just like Lucius.” His expression hardened at the mention of his father. “I’m sorry that you miss him but that’s no excuse for emulating him and his nasty  
behaviors. Now get out.”

***************  
Today was another long, stressful day at work. He had been irritable all day. All he could think about was Hermione and how much he missed her. He hadn’t gotten a single thing done at work. Why was she so furious with him? She told him that he had said some unforgivable things to her but that didn’t sound like him at all.

Later that evening Draco went to meet up with Blaise and Neville at the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Within seconds of him walking through the door he spotted his friends at their usual table already started on the first round. He saw that Neville was kind enough to get the first round for the both of them. “Thanks mate” he said as he sat down and downed the drink. “Draco, man you look like shit” Zabini said as he took in the bags under his eyes and the way that he slumped into his seat. “Gee Zabini, thanks for that”  
“What happened to you?” Blaise asked  
“It’s Hermione.”  
“What?! Is she ok?” Neville asked with a worried look  
“She’s fine...She left.”  
“No! You guys were so lovey dovey the last time I saw you. What happened?”  
“I really don’t know.”  
“Come on Drake seriously, it had to be something.”  
“Seriously. Honestly I don’t remember anything. This morning I woke up and she was gone. I stopped past her office to bring her lunch and she looked at me as if I had three heads. Told me to get out of her office and that she never wanted to see me again. Apparently last I said some horrible but things. I don’t recall doing anything of the sort but she seemed pretty sure that I did. Guys, I don’t know what to do.”

“Just give her a couple days to cool off. You know how easily riled up Gryffindors get. Especially that Granger of yours. Just owl her in few days and I’m sure you two will be fine.”  
He nodded his head somberly. Blaise had never seen his friend like this. So vulnerable. He decided to change the subject. “That's an interesting ring you got there.”  
“Yeah it was my father’s. He left it to me in his will. It was a family heirloom.”  
“Its looks cool.” Neville said “Mind if I take a closer look?” He asked reaching for the ring.  
“No!” Draco shouted and jerked his hand away surprising everyone in the immediate area. “Sorry I...it’s just special to me. Being my fathers”  
“Don’t worry mate it cool.” Him and Blaise shared glance that said What the hell was that?

***************  
Throughout the next week at work Draco got progressively moodier. He had lashed out several times at his friends and employees. At the end of the day on Friday Draco walked up to Neville and threw a bunch of files in his face.“Longbottom what the hell is this?”  
“Umm those are my weekly reports.”  
“No. They’re shit. Redo them and have them on my desk by tomorrow morning or you’re fired. Problem Zabini?” Blaise shook his head. Once Draco was out of sight he looked over to Neville. “Is it me or does Draco seem a bit off to you?”

****  
“Granger can we have a word?” She looked up and gave him a smile. “Sure, have a seat. Whats up?” Neville and Blaise had stopped past Hermione's office at the ministry. They shared a glance and both pulled up a chair. “It’s about Draco.” Upon hearing his name the smile immediately vanished from her face. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about him but we think something's wrong. He hasn’t been himself lately and I know you’ve noticed it too.” At the concerned look on their faces Hermione sighed as she decided to hear them out. “I’m listening.”

“Yeah. It’s like he’s reverting back to his old self. He started calling me Longbottom again and has basically been bullying me all over again. Speaking of which I should get going. If I plan on still having a job I’ve got a report to write.”  
“Wait, what?”

Blaise filled her in on the events of the past week. As she listened she couldn't deny that there was definitely something going on. “This can’t just be his form of mourning.” Hermione had went through everything that Blaise had told her, as well as the things she had experienced, over again in her head. “All of this sounds vaguely familiar.” she paused to think “Merlins beard!!” She said as she smacked her forehead. “How did I not put the pieces together sooner! It all adds up!”

“Well since I'm not skilled in mindreading care to fill me in on what's going through that head of yours?” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Right. A horcrux! It all makes sense now. I think that the ring Lucius left him is a horcrux. When Harry, Ron and I were searching for Voldemort's horcruxes we each took turns holding onto Salazar's locket. Whenever we did we would get moodier and more aggressive. We weren't ourselves at all.”

“In second year at Hogwarts Tom Riddle’s diary possessed Ginny Weasley and forced her to do things out of her control. I think the same thing is happening to him. Lucius was vehemently against our relationship and I wouldn't put it past him to find a way to split us up. Even after death”

“Right. He wanted Draco to marry a pureblood girl, create heirs and carry on the Malfoy name. So now question is what are we gonna do?”

“Well in order to get him back to normal we need to destroy the horcrux. We need to get our hands on that ring.”

“And how are we going to do that?” he asked.  
“Leave everything to me.” she said as she out some parchment and her quill. “I've got a plan.

******************  
Draco and Narcissa had just finished dinner when they heard the floo activating. He wasn't expecting any guests so he went to investigate.  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing. This manor doesn’t allow mudbloods.”  
His harsh words didn't bother her anymore now that she realized it wasn’t her Draco.  
“Draco give me your ring.”  
“Why would the hell would I do that?” he yelled drawing his wand.  
She calmly held her hands up and slowly walked towards him. “I'm just here to help you”  
He laughed cruelly. “What makes you think I need your help” he pointed his wand at Hermione.  
“You’re not yourself.”  
“Oh, but I am. You’re just too stupid to see it. I’m going to show you what a mistake it was coming here. CRUC-”  
“Petrificus Totalus!”

Draco's body went rigid and fell to the floor. Narcissa walked forward,knelt down by her sons side and placed her hand on his cheek. She took the ring off of his finger and handed it to Hermione. Silently she took out the basilisk fang she borrowed from Harry and stabbed the ring. The room filled with a scream, then there was silence. When Draco came to both witches helped him stand. Narcissa gave him a peck on the cheek then left to give the couple some privacy.

Draco looked at Hermione as her eyes started to water. Everything he had done and said came flooding back to him. “Hermione…” he was at a loss for words. He dropped to his knees filled with guilt. Hermione embraced him and stroked his hair. “Shh you don't need to say anything. I'm just glad to have you back. I love you” 

He looked her straight in the eye and said “I love you too. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” And he did just that when he got down on one knee and gave her a ring of her own. But not before making sure it was free of deceased souls.


End file.
